I no longer believe in work-family balance.

Spending time with a couple of people I loved deeply on their deathbed gave me a vivid vision of what’s important.

I don’t want balance. I don’t want work to get just as much time as my kids get from me because work is far less important to me than my kids.

So I’ve turned down offers to work with other agencies and brands, where I know I’ll work at an office for 50-90 hours/week, see my kids for maybe 30 minutes in the morning, and hour in the evening, and try to cram fatherhood into weekends.

That’s not life. For me and my family, anyway.

Ultimately, the idea of balance became untenable. Family first. No exceptions.

Even if that means less money than the Jones’, a smaller house, a phone that isn’t this year’s model, and vehicles that don’t have today’s bells and whistles.

The people I spent time with on their deathbeds regretted prioritizing their careers over their families.

I’d be a fool not to heed their warning.